Number of crashes at local intersection are down by more than 90 percent, officials say - East Idaho News
Pocatello

Number of crashes at local intersection are down by more than 90 percent, officials say

  Published at  | Updated at

The following is a news release from the city of Pocatello.

POCATELLO – Two full years after improvements were completed at a Pocatello intersection, the number of crashes are down by more than 90 percent at the site.

Staff with the City of Pocatello Engineering Department compiled accident data from the Pocatello Police Department and the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (LHTAC) at the Benton Street and 2nd Avenue intersection. Their findings show that crashes at and near the intersection dropped by 91.67 percent in 2017 and 2018 when compared to 2014 and 2015. In 2017 and 2018, there was one accident. Meanwhile, 2014 and 2015 saw 12 accidents. Staff did not use 2016 in their comparison because it was the year construction was underway. In 2016, there were two crashes reported.

“The City of Pocatello takes the safety of its citizens very seriously and prior to starting the project, the intersection at Benton Street and 2nd Avenue was identified as one of the most dangerous intersections in Pocatello,” said Jeff Mansfield, Public Works Director/City Engineer. “The drastic decrease in accidents is proof that the improvements were a success.”

The first, and at this point, only crash following construction was in August 2018.

The cost of the project was roughly $359,000 with 92.66 percent being paid through federal sources and 7.34 percent paid by the City through cash and in-kind contributions.

To view the compiled data, click here. To see LHTAC’s data, visit this link.

For more information on other projects happening around Pocatello, visit projects.pocatello.us.

SUBMIT A CORRECTION